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We often read of the demise of Italy as a major producer and exporter, so the following video was made to counter some of these less than favorable descriptions.

Per Matteo Renzi, Prime Minister of Italy,

The video “Italy the extraordinary commonplace” is designed to show Italy beyond stereotypes, a major producer of technological goods and the second European exporter in mechanical engineering and automation.

Since I love visiting Italy, I found this information to be great news. As for the format, well, leave it to the ever creative Italians. Thanks, Anna, for sharing.

Great posts are worth sharing, so I’d like to share this one with you. Although I had studied French for many years, I had never heard of the term The Flâneur. According to the post’s author,

“A Flâneur is a term for a person who goes about daily life really seeing what is going on around him. He doesn’t so much interact with the world, but instead quietly observes and notices what many other people may miss.”

For me, this is an especially relevant reminder in the Chicago winters when the sky’s favorite “color of choice” is grey and the temperatures bounce around freezing. As an amateur photographer, my eyes are usually on the lookout for interesting things, especially in the phases of sunlight/sunset or when I travel. But in these winter months, as I bundle up against the elements and focus on staying warm, I must remember to still observe so many interesting things that I might otherwise miss.

Click on the link below for Benita’s article, and like me, don’t be surprised if you find some inspiration to become a bit of a Flâneur yourself.